Coming Soon · Book One of the Cody Gray Adventures
Cody and the
Cody and the
Lost Gold
1852
Lost gold. A dangerous secret. A boy and his horse will ride for the truth.
1852
Lost gold. A dangerous secret. A boy and his horse will ride for the truth.
The Story
1852. The California Gold Rush is over, but Cody Gray’s adventure is just beginning.
Eleven-year-old Cody and his father lost the gold they worked so hard to find. Now they’re starting over at a cattle ranch, hoping for a little good luck and a chance to leave the past behind.
But the past has a way of catching up with you.
A cattle drive. A dangerous stranger. A loyal horse. A new friend. And somewhere along the trail, a secret that could change everything.
Cody is about to discover that the frontier is full of surprises—and that courage sometimes means facing danger when walking away would be much easier.
Meet the Riders
Three names you'll get to know before the trail runs out.
Eleven-year-old Cody Gray is not easily scared off. When trouble comes looking for him, he has a habit of finding himself right in the middle of the adventure.
Dove has a complicated past and a lot to prove. He and Cody form an unlikely friendship—one that neither of them could have expected, and neither will soon forget.
Sure-footed, fearless, and worth more than gold, Ranger is the kind of horse a boy can trust when the trail turns dangerous. Whatever Cody rides into, Ranger goes first.
Parents & Homeschoolers
Cody and the Lost Gold is an adventure story first. It just happens to be set in one of the most interesting decades in American history — making it easy to pair with what you're already teaching.
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Leave your email once, then choose any combination of the ARC Team, publication news, and the free Adventure Pack.
If you select the ARC Team, we’ll email you the password and private link for the PDF advance copy.
Advance Readers
We're putting together a small team of 20–30 advance readers to read Cody and the Lost Gold before publication.
You’ll get a free PDF copy, and we’d love to know what you and your reader think of it. Honest feedback is the whole point. A positive review is never required, and nothing here is conditional on posting one.
Select ARC Team on the email form above. After you submit, the private ARC link and password will be sent to your email address.
ARC format: PDF only. Please keep the password, PDF, and private link to yourself.
Choose ARC TeamThe Author
Lorne Thomas writes historical adventures for young readers—stories with horses, hard country, real history, and young people discovering what they’re capable of when adventure comes calling.
Cody and the Lost Gold is the first book in the Cody Gray Adventures, a series set in the American West of the 1850s. Every book starts in a real place, in a real year, with history that actually happened — and then turns a kid loose in it.
The Series
One boy, one horse, and a West that is bigger and stranger than anybody told him.
A lost fortune, a dangerous secret, and an eleven-year-old boy who refuses to give up until he finds the truth.
Coming SoonCody's story continues. Join the list to hear about it first.
In ProgressContact
Questions from parents and teachers, review copies, school and homeschool group visits, podcast and blog interviews — all welcome.